NBC Revokes Licenses of 54 Broadcast Stations, 120 More to go

The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) says it has revoked the licenses of 54 broadcast stations, including both private and public, while 120 more is in process of being withdrawn as penalty for failing to
pay-up their license fees to the commission within the stipulated time frame.

Over N5 Billion is still being owed NBC by stations across the country, according to Director General, NBC, Isha’q Modibbo Kawu who spoke on the development and that those stations still in the process of revocation have up till end of March 2017 to pay up their license fees to avoid revocation.

“Over the past two weeks, I gave directive that the licenses of 54 companies that were issued licenses but had refused to pay their fees within the mandatory 60-day window, be revoked.

“There is another list of over 120 licenses that were paid within the mandatory period but were unable to come on air, within the mandatory two years; they are also being processed for revocation. And they will be revoked. Frequencies cannot be held indefinitely by individuals.

“We are delighted that Nigerians are investing in setting up radio and television stations; they create jobs; open up accesses for content producers to showcase talents and are contributing to national
development, but no one has a right to hold on to allocated frequencies indefinitely, when the resource itself is finite and there are other people waiting and ready to make use of them” he said.

He averred that this is a new era at the NBC and in Nigeria, as situations where some private station owners use political connections with the top most political leadership in the country in the past, to get illegal and undue favours in contrast to the NBC Act and the Nigeria Broadcasting Code will not be entertained.

“Every licensee is aware that every license issued by NBC is provisional and could be withdrawn at any point, stations carry on as if they own those licenses and can do as they pretty well please.

“The commission has revoked the license of 54 broadcast stations that were issued licenses but had refused to pay their fees within the mandatory 60-day window,” Kawu noted.

Kawu stressed, he had at the stakeholder’s conference with broadcast organizations, informed stations of a persistent pattern of refusal to pay license fees, resulting in huge debt.

“The statutory act of informing NBC, six months before expiration of licenses and signification of intention to continue as licensees is willfully ignored by stations.

“License fees are in arrears; there is no plan by many of these stations to pay; while some even have the temerity to write NBC, theregulatory institution, that the amount they are obliged to pay is too much, consequently, they then tell us how much they are willing to pay, and even adding the time they are going to pay such sums that they have decided to pay,” he said.

He reiterated that the June 2017 deadline date for Digital Switch Over (DSO) remains sacrosanct as all hands are on deck for its actualisation.

According to him, the NBC has planned for six states to switch on to support the process of digitization.
“As I address you today, Pinnacle Communications Limited has commenced the installation of the facilities for Kaduna. I was there to inspect the work being done at the weekend.

“Our colleagues can go to the site on Rabah Road, in Kaduna to verify that work is advancing very rapidly there. They have also concluded plans for Delta and Gombe states, while the second signal distributor,
ITS, will similarly mobilize into Kwara, Enugu and Osun states,” he added.